Another Sunday afternoon. I am waiting for my sandwich after doing a first round of coffee. Even without the tourists, Manali cafes are full and lively. The hustle and bustle continues amidst the slow and unnoticeable cafe music. The smell of coffee and the attendant's cheerfulness certainly make me want to hang around a little longer than I previously planned.
Across the table sits a friend who has recently found her passion in yoga and meditation. She has been endlessly talking about how it brings peace and positivity. From what I know her from a month before, she was a nomad on the road. She did not understand how she wanted her life or what she wanted to do. When I hear her today, I find her committed much more meaningfully to practicing yoga, meditation, and a good diet. She misses no chance to talk about how she meditates or finds joy while practicing her newfound lifestyle of vomiting to clean her gut or rinsing her mouth with coconut oil to clean her mouth.
While I sip my last drop of remaining coffee, Instagram sends me a notification from another friend that I closely follow. She has a full-grown family and a boy of 7; I still can shrug off the feeling of thinking of her as a careless, lively girl. All my memories of her are how crazy and irrational she was when I was around her. I remember this person riding her scooter in the busy alleys of Indore and moving from stall to counter, gobbling anything and everything her heart wished. When I hear from her today, I see her planning for the times to come and making choices as a mother of a toddler in the most responsible way. She doesn't appear to be remotely related to the girl who used to fight out of jealousy and complain about my disciplined lifestyle.
Do times change people, or are people waiting for the right time to change themselves? I cannot say this for certain about this girl I used to date, who is returning from Switzerland to her home in Prague. I bet her European morning is full of exuberance and a sense of achievement if she takes a moment to reflect on what she has been doing for the last few days. I spoke to her earlier this year when she was closing her chapter in India and was planning a new life in Europe. This person was heavily burdened with her past and striving hard to move forward while evidently not freeing herself from the clutches of her past. When I hear from her today, I see she is experiencing the ultimate freedom and exercising her own will in the most unconstrained way.
The sun has now moved across, and I have finished my sandwich. While the cafe lights are dimmed and I have gulped down my sandwich, the thought of how people change has not left my mind. Everyone in my mind today has not just changed but grown. Spiritually, philosophically, or emotionally - each one is choosing their own good, by their own definition. I am glad that technology keeps us connected; while we might not have met or seen each other, I witness their journey through their own life, following their own versions of their dreams, goals, and destinies.
And while witnessing their journey, I consciously try to not influence their lives in any way. This is difficult at times, but that is my journey of growth. As I complete my 35th year on this planet, I am pleasantly happy that I am free of the urge to fix things for everyone. I am myself. I might be a man with errors and misdeeds, but I am sufficient, and I am whole. And with each passing day, I grow to love who I am and grow from what I do not.
Comments
Post a Comment